tdgraves big year 2022 - here's hoping it's (all) better!

[Tdgraves]

And my first ever UK photo and I think only my third UK sighting of this one....

 

Milton Country Park, Cambridgeshire, 8/3/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1250, f7.1, 1/400

 

7T4A9871a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

237) Common kingfisher

[Tdgraves]

and some duplicates...

 

7T4A9532a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A9516a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A9469a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A9631a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A9953a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A9917a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0063a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0221a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

 

[TonyQ]

Well done with the Kingfisher, lovely photo 

[Tdgraves]

thanks @TonyQ

[Tdgraves]

I finally found it...

 

Rietvlei Dam Nature Reserve, South Africa 29/1/22

 

Canon 7D mark II, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/500

 

J19A6331a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

238) Cardinal woodpecker

[Tdgraves]

And also noticed that this one was missing

 

Sunset Dam, Kruger National Park, South Africa 20/1/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/800

 

7T4A5990 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

239) Yellow-billed stork

 

So that makes 212 from RSA @xelas

Edited August 9, 2022 by Tdgraves
typo

[Tdgraves]

They are back!

 

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 23/6/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 25600, f5.6, 1/320 handheld with a torch in the other....

 

7T4A9154a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 32000, f5.6, 1/320

 

7T4A9170a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

240) Tawny owl

[Tdgraves]

More from my garden, as I was restricted to home until recently

 

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 3/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f5.6, 1/200 

 

7T4A9541a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

241) Eurasian collared dove

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 8/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 3200, f5.6, 1/400 

 

7T4A9578a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

242) Eurasian blue tit

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 13/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 6400, f5.6, 1/320 

 

7T4A9703a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

243) Winter wren (lots of sightings this year but always difficult to photograph)

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 18/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 2000, f5.6, 1/400 

 

7T4A9719 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

244) Common blackbird

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 8/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 2000, f5.6, 1/250 

 

7T4A9591 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

8/7/22, Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f7.1, 1/1000 

 

7T4A9686 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

245) Woodpigeon

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 29/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1250, f7.1, 1/1000 

 

7T4A9874 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

246) Common chiffchaff (only sighting of the year so far)

[Tdgraves]

For my first walk since my op, I went to berry fen, which was just mud as there was no water left due to the drought. I saw one rather perplexed grey heron and lots of cows! This pair gave me the run around and given the cloud cover, I was lucky to get one usable shot.

 

Berry Fen, Cambridgeshire, 22/7/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 2000, f6.3, 1/250, EV +1 

 

7T4A9764 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

247) Willow warbler

[Tdgraves]

My garden, Cambridgeshire, 2/8/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1600, f5.6, 1/500 

 

7T4A9913a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

248) Song thrush (very rare visitor to my garden)

[Tdgraves]

My next foray into the outside world was to the new extension of the RSPB Ouse Fen reserve. It is a short loop and we saw a fair number of species (given the conditions) but it is not the best in terms of photography, due to lack of cover and distance from the water. However, I was surprised to see this one, which I am more used to seeing in the spring. It also gave me the run around, so this is the best I managed...

 

Ouse Fen, Cambridgeshire, 1/8/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f7.1, 1/1250 

 

7T4A9900a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

249) Sedge warbler

[Zim Girl]

Nice collection, great to see the Tawny owls are back!

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @Zim Girl even hear them calling in the afternoon yesterday!

[Tdgraves]

I seem to have completely overlooked my "May" folder. This bird has a prestigious place, because of that and it is the first time that they have actually been in my garden in 10 years. I have had the odd sighting high up in a tree or overhead, but this year, they appeared with a vengeance and ate me out of house and home!!

 

Cambridgeshire, 14/5/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1250, f7.1, 1/1600 

 

1a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7/5/22. Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 3200, f5.6, 1/1250 

 

7T4A0787 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7/5/22. Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 3200, f5.6, 1/1600 

 

7T4A0810 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

250) Common starling

[Tdgraves]

We had a trip to the States in April for a conference in Seattle and then to my in-laws in San Francisco for a week. I had planned two proper birding trips whilst we were in Seattle and plenty of time to explore the Bay area. We had a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test but felt pretty rough in the airport and on the plane. We explained this away as stress, as my mother in law had died the day before after a long and painful hospital admission. It seemed like the jet lag was particularly severe for our first two days, but on day three, I had a huge fever and developed a cough. You guessed it, the COVID test was positive. The OH developed symptoms about 12-24 hours after me. We were then stuck in our hotel room, as they still had self-isolation in place, so all of out plans went out of the window, not that I felt like walking anywhere! We had to extend our stay in Seattle, as the CDC rules for travel were 10 days after symptom onset and of course, we did not wish to infect a plane full of people, or our in laws. Therefore we only had 4 days in San Francisco and the majority of them were spent recuperating. We managed a short trip to the Don Edwards reserve on our last day, but this was severely limited by battery issues. When we arrived I discovered that I only had 1 battery bar and had failed to bring any of the number of spares in the car. Therefore, every new bird had to be confirmed before switching on the camera and taking the minimum number of shots. We also did not do the whole loop, due to post-COVID fatigue, but also, every time we changed direction, the wind followed us, making the walk harder. So needless to say, fewer species than our previous visit and very limited photography. At least we did not have to reschedule our return flights, although we returned home feeling like we needed a holiday - less than ideal.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Tdgraves
typo

[Tdgraves]

Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, San Francisco, USA, 15/4/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/2500 

 

7T4A0611a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

251) Song sparrow

Edited August 11, 2022 by Tdgraves
typo

[Tdgraves]

Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, San Francisco, USA, 15/4/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/1600 

 

7T4A0674a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

252) House finch

[Tdgraves]

Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, San Francisco, USA, 15/4/22

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/2000, EV +1/3 

 

7T4A0687a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

253) California scrub jay

[pedro maia]

That´s too bad, to get covid while travelling, glad to know you still got to do some birding, even with those battery issues.

[Tdgraves]

1 minute ago, pedro maia said:

That´s too bad, to get covid while travelling, glad to know you still got to do some birding, even with those battery issues.

TBH it could have been much worse. It would have been more than inconvenient to test positive on the pre-departure test, which would have probably meant that the entire trip was cancelled. If we had tested positive a few days later, then we wouldn’t have got to see the in laws and make funeral arrangements etc. and any later than that would have led to a prolonged trip with unplanned time off of work, rescheduling return flights etc. so, on balance, if we were to test positive, it was the “best” time, but clearly being unwell in your own home has to be preferable.